


AzurrinWeek 2016 - AquosEvolved

by AquosEvolved



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-07
Packaged: 2018-07-28 17:01:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,215
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7649158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AquosEvolved/pseuds/AquosEvolved
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>As her spirit faded from existence in her son's arms, Queen Mikoto made a shocking revelation to her son and now the princes and princesses of Hoshido confront their step-brother to talk about it. (chapter 1 summary)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bloodline

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, okay. real creative title for the bloodline, I know, but I honestly just can't be asked to come up with a better title today.
> 
> Anyways, here's my submissions for AzurrinWeek 2016. It's finally here, after a month of waiting. Whoo!
> 
> Please read the additional notes at the end before commenting anything.

It hadn't even been a week since Corrin was forced to do battle with the enslaved spirit of Queen Mikoto; the enslaved spirit of his mother. As he watched his mother die in his arms for the second time that year, she had revealed a very shocking truth - Queen Arete was his aunt, making Azura his cousin. Ever since he - as well as his step-siblings from Hoshido and Azure herself - learned this, things had been tense between the Hoshidan royals and their step-brother. Truthfully, things between the couple had been tense at first, but the two had already managed to talk through the situation. At this point, the couple expected the Hoshidan siblings to come to the treehouse to talk about it eventually, so while Corrin might not have been surprised, he still wasn't prepared when he answered the knock on the door to find his siblings standing on the deck. 

Taking a step back from the door, Corrin turned sideways to allow his adoptive siblings entry. They filed in one by one in order of age, all carrying different facial expressions – Ryoma’s was almost unreadable as usual; Hinoka carried a look of confusion; Takumi held a look of disgust and Sakura looked only concerned. At their step-brother’s signal, the four joined Azura and seated themselves at the table in the main room of the house.

"O-oh, did we come over a b-bad time?" Sakura asked as she noticed the hastily set aside plates of food and the extinguished candles.

"No, no, don't worry about it." Corrin said as he took a seat beside Azura, who gave him a glance as if to say "Seriously?" to which Corrin responded with an apologetic look. 

The six sat in silence for what felt like an eternity, Azura looking across the table at nothing in particular while Corrin’s ruby gaze shifted between his siblings nervously. The air was thick with tension and awkwardness, which only helped to further the anxiety the couple felt; the only difference between boyfriend and girlfriend was that Azura had learned to hide it. Hiding it in the presence of the Hoshidan royalty was pointless, however, as all four of them knew the tell-tale signs that betrayed the blue haired princess’s attempts at hiding her emotions. Deciding to end the silence, Corrin took a deep breath and cleared his throat.

“We know why you’re here, so please just say what you plan on saying instead of torturing us with judgmental silence.” Corrin said, Azura closing her eyes and nodding in agreement. 

“What you two are doing is wrong! You know that, right?” Takumi spat suddenly, causing Sakura to jolt in surprise. “You two are _cousins_. You can’t date your cousin, that’s sick!”

“Takumi, I-“ Azura opened her mouth to speak but was cut off as Takumi slammed his palms against the table, causing the abandoned plates to rattle, Sakura jolting again and beginning to take deep breaths to try to keep herself calm despite the argument unfolding in front of her. Noticing her sister’s discomfort, Hinoka placed a hand on the young priestess’s shoulder and smiled reassuringly. 

“Don’t give me any excuses, Azura!” Takumi bellowed, the beige haired teen’s amber eyes blazed with self-righteousness. “What you two are doing is wrong and _you know it!_ ”

“Takumi.” Ryoma eyed his brother as he called his name warningly. 

“You can’t _possibly_ be siding with them, Ryoma!” Takumi turned his gaze to his eldest brother in a mix of horror and anger. “What they’re doing is disgusting! It’s immoral! They should be asha-“

“Takumi!” Ryoma cut his brother off as his green gaze burned. “I am not siding with them, I’m reminding you that you are a prince and will be expected to act as such! We came here to calmly discuss this matter, not for you to throw accusations at these two!”

“Discuss? What’s there to discuss?! Corrin and Azura are-“ Takumi was cut off yet again.

“In love, Takumi! Azura and I are in love!” Corrin had reached his limit and was going to stand for his brother judging him in his own home no longer. “I love her, and she loves me back, so what right do you have to judge us?!” As he stood up and glared down at Takumi, Corrin’s right hand drifted to the dragonstone hanging from his belt and gripped it; the cold, shining stone spreading a calming sensation to his burning veins.

“He’s right.” Azura spoke up, standing as well and linking her left arm with her lover’s right. “We may be estranged cousins, yes, but we love each other. Who are you to come between us?” The blue haired woman looked at the beige haired teen expectantly, but all he did was stutter in response.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Many hours later, after discussion of the situation had ended and the Hoshidan siblings left, the couple decided to turn in for the night and climbed into bed; Corrin laid flat on his back and Azura rested her head on his chest, her body against his side. The silver haired prince was usually cuddly with his girlfriend in the time they spent together before they slept, but tonight he was very still, only absentmindedly wrapping his arm around her as he stared up at the ceiling.

As Azura listened to her love’s heartbeat quicken, she sat up and turned to face him. The songstress recognized the look on his face immediately – his ‘lost in thought’ face. Corrin turned his head and as his ruby gaze met her golden one, he knew what she wanted to ask him before she even spoke.

“I’m just thinking over this situation is all.” Corrin said tiredly as his gaze drifted from his girlfriend’s face back up to the ceiling. “As hard as I’ve been trying not to let it bother me, Takumi’s reaction really stuck with me. What if others find out? Will they react as strongly as he did?”

“Hey, look at me.” Azura gently grabbed Corrin’s chin and he allowed her to turn his head towards her. “Even if the entire army finds out and even if they all react as strongly as Takumi did, I will not let them come between us. I love you with all my heart, my sweet prince, and after this war is over I would love nothing more than to stay by your side until the end of our days.”

Corrin smiled softly and the two laid there, staring lovingly into the depths of each other’s eyes for a moment that felt like a lifetime, interrupted only when the draconic prince pulled the songstress closer and slowly pressed a gentle kiss to her lips and in that moment, Corrin knew that – somehow – everything would be okay.


	2. Blade Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone honors the fallen in their own special way, and Princess Kana of Valla is no exception.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ever since I first saw that one of the prompts would be "weapon" when I read the announcement for Azurrin Week, I realized I definitely wanted to do something involving Kana.

“1…2…3…4, 1…2…3…4, 1…2…3…4…” Kana quietly called out her rhythm to herself as she practiced, slowly stepping and sliding across the smooth wooden flooring of her private quarters in Castle Primus. The dancer was trying to focus on her moves and nothing else…step, slide, twirl, slide…sway, twirl, step, slide…trying different combinations over and over again, but nothing felt right. Not even just with her dancing, nothing had felt right to her at all in the past few days. No, nothing had felt right to her for months, but now everything felt like it was ready to come crashing down.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“I-I’m sorry, everyone…there’s nothing I can do for him.” Kana had smiled when she saw Aunt Sakura exit the royal bedchamber, expecting good news, but that smile quickly faltered. “I’ve n-never seen a sickness like this before, never s-seen something so resilient to even m-magic based treatment.”

Shigure stopped his worried pacing and just stared into the face of his peach haired aunt, his eyes glazed over with emotion as he asked the question he knew neither his mother nor his sister were strong enough to ask; “How long does he have?”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“1…2…3...4, 1…2...3…4, 1…2…3…4…” Kana chanting out her rhythm was more to try to take her mind off her troubles than to help her with her dancing. In truth, she hadn’t needed to call out her rhythm in many years. Step, step, twirl, step….twirl, slide, twirl, sway…

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Go on…take it…” Corrin wheezed as he extended his arm and asked his daughter to take the sheathed blade in his hand.

“Y-you’re giving me Yato?” Kana asked as she reluctantly received the sacred weapon from her father. “But, papa, Shigure’s the oldest and the heir to the throne…shouldn’t he inherit the king’s sword – _your_ sword – as well?” It’s not that the blue haired dancer didn’t want her father’s sword, but she had always thought it to be more of a family heirloom and not a sentimental keepsake. 

“Shigure doesn’t need Yato to rule…I want you to have it, Kana…” Corrin let his arm go limp after he was certain that his divine blade was securely in the princess’s grasp, letting out a weak smile.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kana stopped her chanting, stopped her practicing, as the memory slowly began to overwhelm her. Her father had always been so strong; she heard stories of how he once slayed a god, so how could he fall from something as simple as an illness?

Letting out a sniffle, the princess reached up and pulled her blue and gold hair-tie loose, her long blue hair falling down her back like a river, aqua colored locks flowing down to her waist. Bringing her hands up to her face, she let out a choked sob.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Okay, papa… I’ll take good care of it…” Kana promised her father as she planted a kiss to his forehead, tears streaming down her cheeks. She hadn’t called her father papa since she was much younger; twelve at the oldest, but in his final moments, the dancer-princess couldn’t even dream of a better name to call him.

When the princess felt her father’s hand on her shoulder, trying to pull her down into hugging range, she let go of the sheathed Yato. The blade clattered to the floor as the teen lurched forward and tightly wrapped her arms around her dying father as best she could.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

After crying for what felt like an eternity but was probably only about fifteen minutes, a now slightly calmed Kana turned around and gazed at the legendary blade hanging in its scabbard above her bed, her despair parting slightly as an idea slowly began to play in her head. Stepping across the room, the aqua-haired dancer grabbed the sheathed, golden blade and gently lifted it from its cradle. Pulling the gleaming sword from its scabbard and gently laying the latter on her bed, the dancer lightly stepped back to the center of her bedroom and gripped her father’s sword tightly in her right hand, ready to begin her routine anew.

“1…2…3…4, 1…2…3…4, 1…2…3…4…” Kana began her chant of her rhythm once again, and while she did step, slide, twirl and sway as she had already done for years, she had begun to throw in her own rhythmic take on fencing moves. Twirling horizontal slash, slide to the right, lunging jab and step, slide to the left…left-to-right horizontal slash and sway, step back and to the right, step up and to the right, sway and right-to-left horizontal slash. As the gleaming golden sword in her hand swung in rhythm to her swaying skirt and hair, Kana was glad that she had long since removed anything easily broken from her private quarters after she decided to begin using it as a practice studio if she needed privacy when coming up with and perfecting routines.

Kana smiled despite the grief-filled tears streaming down her face as she begin to lose herself in her dancing, the repeating call of her rhythm fading as she gained a feel for how incorporating fencing moves into her routine felt. At long last, she was finally beginning to narrow down how she would honor her father at his funeral with her talent for dancing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How I particularly went about the idea of including a dancing Kana here stems from a headcanon I started developing a few days ago that she's a more gifted dancer than singer despite her talent with both. (yeah, Rose, that was me - I'm terribly shy and usually submit all my asks to pretty much everyone on anon)  
> I would be a bit saddened that the first thing I did with this headcanon was angst, but honestly speaking, I am a very cruel writer and it takes a serious amount of angst to upset me while writing and/or reading my own work.


	3. Dressing Wounds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After he took a couple of nasty hits, Azura tends to a wounded, bedridden Corrin.

“Oh, gods…” Corrin groaned in pain from his place in bed, limbs splayed out tiredly and his hair drenched in a combination of blood and sweat. He had peeled off his armor and stripped down to his underwear, revealing a series of bruises and bleeding cuts all over his body. His chest ached, his head throbbed, and his limbs felt like they’d been filled with lead. His sensitive ears perked up at the faint sound of footsteps in the hall followed by the treehouse’s bedroom door opening and rolled his head to the side to watch as his fiancé entered the room, carrying a tray with a roll of bandages and a damp cloth, among other things.

“I told you not to be reckless, didn’t I?” Azura chided gently as she set the tray on the bedside table, grabbing the cloth and reaching over to wash the prince’s wounds, Corrin quietly hissing in pain in response.

“Y-yeah, I guess you did.” The silver haired man said with after a slight gasp. “I still don’t regret taking that arrow for you; if I see you in danger and am capable of helping you, I’m going to act.” Corrin gripped the scarlet sheets of his bed and gritted his teeth an attempt to keep himself still despite the deep, stinging pain so Azura could dress his wounds.

“I had the situation under contr-“ Azura tried to insist before her fiancé interrupted her.

“That sniper had his yumi aimed to hit you square in the chest and you were preoccupied with fighting that paladin; if I didn’t act, I would have lost you, Azura!” Corrin raised his voice slightly as his emotions started to get the better of him. “You asked me to never let you go, and if I don’t protect you whenever I can, what is that other than letting you go?”

“I know, my sweet prince. I’m sorry for worrying you, but I got quite worried myself when you stepped in to take the arrow in my stead.” Azura stopped her gentle scrubbing and leaned down to cup Corrin’s cheek. “If you die, is that not also a way of letting me go?” Corrin opened his mouth to reply, but was silenced when the songstress’s soft, rosy lips met his.

The dragon prince slowly and carefully moved his heavy, aching left arm upwards to rest his hand on the back of her neck; pulling her closer as he kissed her back passionately. The blue haired woman’s lips parted, silently begging him to carry on. The moment of passion was broken suddenly after that; while she was surprised at first, Azura giggled slightly as hey lover gasped for air; while her lifetime of singing had strengthened her lungs and ability to hold her breathe, the same could not be said for Corrin. As he finally managed to stabilize his breathing, Corrin smiled and looked up at his wife-to-be.

“Don’t worry, my love; I’ll never let you go.” He breathed, not daring to tear his gaze from his lover’s beautiful honey colored eyes for even a moment. The white clad princess slowly moved to climb onto the bed and lay beside him, but as he unsuccessfully tried his hardest to stifle a scream from the hand she accidentally placed right where there was an arrow sticking out of his side only an hour ago she was jerked from the moment; she had completely forgotten that she was supposed to be dressing his wounds.

“Oh, I’m sorry! Are you alright?” Azura asked as her hand flew from her husband-to-be’s chest to cover her mouth. As Corrin affirmed that he was alright, she regained her composure and grabbed the roll of bandages and slowly helped the draconic prince into a sitting position. From there, she gently unwound the roll around his torso before cutting it and tying it at his back. With the most serious of his wounds taken care of – all the others were minor cuts that had scabbed over before they even left the battlefield – the prince flopped back down with a loud sigh, yawning as his head hit the pillow. 

Looking up at his fiancé for a moment, the silver haired man’s face crinkled slightly in thought. The expression quickly disappeared, though, as he had already made up his mind; Corrin slid to the other side of the bed and gently patted where he just was, silently beckoning the songstress to join him.


	4. Bedtime Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Papa read and mama sang, that's just how things usually went for the young prince."  
> Submission for the "Role Reversal" prompt.

The light of the moon cast pale, ethereal shadows on the land below, bathing the silvery gray stones of Castle Primus in a gentle white light. The castle was mostly dark other than the flame lit private quarters of the royal family, the brightest of which being the nursery, where Queen Azura sat with young Prince Shigure in her lap.

“What story would you like me to read tonight, Shigure?” The long haired woman asked as she smiled at the boy in her arms, gently reaching to brush a strand of hair from his face. The question only caused the boy to look up at her in confusion.

“But papa is usually the one to read me a bedtime story, and you always sing to me after he’s done.” Shigure replied, his voice just as laden with confusion as his expression. Being as young as he was, his sense of logic wasn’t entirely sound; papa read and mama sang, that’s just how things went for him.

“Well, papa’s had a very busy day and needs his rest, so I thought I would take his place for story time tonight, okay?” Azura explained gently, resting a hand on her son’s shoulder. The boy nodded slowly nodded in understanding. “So, what story would you like me to read?” The queen repeated her question and the boy stared at a point behind her head as he thought. After a few moments, his face lit up.

“Ooh, ooh! The one about the oracina!” Shigure exclaimed, his eyes sparkling with excitement. Azura giggled slightly as her son minced the word; as an adult, she was never very good with children, but after having a child of her own things had turned around entirely.

“The Ocarina of Time?” She asked in confirmation, Shigure nodding vigorously in reply. The book in question was a classic from a collection of fables from Nohr set in the fictional world of Hyrule called The Legend of Zelda. The stories were always incredibly black and white; starring a noble, infallible hero pitted against an evil lord; usually the adaptions made for children were a lot less dark and had the messages about being courageous even in the face of fear were highlighted. 

The Ocarina of Time was not only the young prince’s favorite story from the series, but it was his favorite story of all time. Azura wouldn’t be surprised if Corrin were capable of reading the story word for word with his eyes closed at this point, that’s how often Shigure had him read it.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Powerless before the light of the Blade of Evil’s bane, the evil king fell.” Azura read out dramatically, so far unaware of the fact that her son had drifted to sleep. “With the help of the Six Sages, Princess Zelda sealed the beastly form of the Gerudo King in the Sacred Realm, the seal of the sages strong enough to trap him for centuries. Thus, peace was finally restored to the torn world of Hyrule once again.” 

Closing the book, the cyan haired queen looked down to see that her son had drifted off before the story’s end. Silently placing the book on the table beside the nursery’s rocking chair, Azura slowly moved the boy in her arms to a position that allow her to carry him more easily and carefully stood up. After gently placing the sleeping prince in his bed, Azura pressed a kiss to his forehead and whispered “Good night, Shigure. Sweet dreams.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had the headcanon that The Legend of Zelda is a series of fairytales in Nohr for a few weeks now, but never did anything with it until now. Hope you all enjoyed.


	5. Reminisce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corrin and his family reminisce as he lies on his deathbed, the king yearning for a familiar song. [Song prompt]

“Okay, papa….I’ll take good care of it…” Kana choked back a sob as she leaned forward to press a kiss to her father’s forehead, dropping the sheathed sword in her hand to the floor as she lurched forward to embrace him one last time.

“That’s my girl…” Corrin closed his eyes and his weak smile spread in his daughter’s embrace, the young woman in his arms shuddering against him. He hated making her watch him go; he hated his family having to watch him go, his children and wife deserved better than to have to watch him slowly die over the course of the last few months.

As the princess pulled back and looked down at her father, he reached up to cup her cheek and wipe away her tears with his thumb. “Kana…I’m so glad I got to see you grow up…You’ve grown into such a strong, beautiful woman...You look more like your mother every day…” Kana sniffled and smiled, leaning into her father’s hand.

Aside from Kana’s sniffling and Azura’s quiet sobbing on Corrin’s other side, a dour silence pervaded the Vallite royal bedchamber. Two soft knocks on the door echoed somberly before the double doors slowly opened to reveal a rain soaked Shigure, who quickly crossed the room to his father’s side to stand next to his mother, draping an arm around her shoulder.

“Son…it’s great to see you again…” Corrin said as he looked up at the young man, laughing slightly at the memory of how ridiculous his hair looked as a teenager only to be interrupted by a short coughing fit. “You know, Shigure…I never said anything at the time, but…eheheh…I was so glad the day you finally decided… to ditch that haircut you used to have.” The golden eyed prince looked dumbstruck for a moment or two before laughing lightly.

“Yes, in hindsight, while it may have been stylish, it might not have been the most _appropriate_ hairstyle for someone of my station.” Shigure said admittedly, laughing a little more as his sister placed her right hand over her eye in a mime gesture.

“Shigure wasn’t the only one who used to have ridiculous hair, you know.” Azura added, the reminiscing drawing a small smile to her face. “My hair used to go all the way down to my ankles.” The queen let out a small laugh at the memories of her and Corrin’s combined tossing and turning in their sleep causing him to become ensnared as if her hair were some sort of light blue trap.

“Wait, really?” Kana’s hand dropped to her side and her eyes widened as Azura began to recall aloud the many, many times both herself and Corrin got stock in her long cyan tresses. After that, the family quartet sat there, continuing to swap stories and remember days long since passed.

“Azura…there’s one thing in particular I remember that I’ve been meaning to bring up…” Corrin said, his eyes giving off a sad light despite the tired smile on his face. “It’s been forever and a day since I heard you sing Lost in Thoughts All Alone.” The king hummed out the tune that he knew like the back of his hand, the song that he had heard so many times during the war with the original Valla.

“I guess it has been awhile, hasn’t it?” Azura said with realization. “Why, come to think of it, I haven’t sung that with any frequency since before Kana was born.” For one reason or another, the ties she felt to the once powerful song had faded more and more after the Invisible Kingdom had been sealed away, the curse placed upon it by the Silent Dragon dispelled with his death at the hands of the Omega Yato. 

“Could you sing for me…one last time?” Corrin asked, placing his hand on his wife’s, who in turned gently cupped his with both hers and nodded.

“ _You are the ocean’s gray waves_ ,” Despite not having sung it in many years, the lyrics and melody easily ebbed and flowed as if she were still singing it every day. 

“Destined to seek life beyond those, just out of reach.” All eyes were on Azura as she continued the ancient song which, truth be told, felt odd to sing without her pendant.

“ _Yet the waters ever change, flowing like time,_ ” Corrin’s eyes slowly slid closed, the song he had come to know and love bringing him to rest, even without the power of his father’s dragonstone.

“ _The path is yours to climb…_ ” Azura’s eyes welled up with tears as she felt her husband’s hand go limp in her own, but at least he went in peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> _There's actually a continuity to some of your submissions to AzurrinWeek for 2016?_
> 
>  
> 
> Why, yes dear reader, yes there is and call me Billy Mays because **I'm not done yet!** The rest of my submissions to this year's AzurrinWeek will be in this oh so wonderful mysterious illness timeline because god knows how much I enjoy writing angst....this was also a lot fluffier than I had initially planned but we're going with it. The abrupt end was also completely intentional to mirror the abrupt cutoff that is death.


	6. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The immediate aftermath of the passing of King Corrin of Valla.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The gloves are off this time, this is all angst, and now even Lilith gets to join in because that's how nice I am.

Thunder boomed in the distance as a blue and red haired woman urged her horse onward, desperate to make it back to Valla’s capital city and castle. She’d only been gone a few days; surely her brother hadn’t passed in her absence, right? The woman shook her head and took a deep breath, doing her best to clear her mind of such melancholy thoughts. Corrin was stronger than this, if he could stop their absolutely out of control father, surely he could overcome this illness that had been plaguing him. While, yes, Sakura might have said he was going to die, she was still only human and no human can ever know for sure.

Lilith continued to press on, hoping that she would arrive at Castle Primus before the looming storm broke. The silvery gray towers rose in the distance, growing ever larger as the distance was narrowed. Lightning flashed and thunder followed less than 3 seconds after; the storm was almost right on top of her, but that wasn’t going to stop her from rushing to her brother’s side.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  
“ _The path is yours to climb…_ ” Lilith could hear her sister-in-law’s singing as she made her way down the hall as fast as she could, muttering wishes for her brother’s well-being as her sopping wet dress dripped a trail down the hall after her. When she reached the end of the hall and entered the royal bedchamber, Corrin appeared to just be resting, but she knew better. Lightning flashed, further illuminating the shape of the king with his wife and children gathered around him in mourning, Kana wiping at her face with her hand and Azura sobbing into her son’s shoulder; Shigure’s back was turned, but his quivering body told that he was crying as well.

“C-Corrin?” Lilith called out, standing in the doorway in disbelief. How could this happen? Corrin was the strongest person she knew; their father’s dragon blood flowed strongly in his veins. What illness could possibly be strong enough to fell a dragon?

“Aunt Lilith…” Kana greeted somberly as the older woman crossed the room and pulled her into a hug. The young woman rested her head on her aunt’s shoulder, listening to the ever increasing volume of the rain against the windows slowly begin to drown out her mother’s sobs; not caring about the soaked, cold fabric clinging to her cheek. 

“When did he…?” The draconic woman couldn’t finish her question, but she didn’t need to for her family to understand what she was asking. _When did he die?_

“Mere moments before your arrival.” Shigure answered, his voice wavering. Damn it. _Damn it!_ If only she hadn’t gone to Cheve, if only she had let someone else take her place as the Vallite king’s emissary for this year’s political conference. Then she would have been able to be there for her brother in his final moments. 

“Gods…I’m such a terrible sister…” The blue and red haired woman said despondently, barely holding back sobs as she stared at her brother’s body over her niece’s shoulder. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to forgive myself for missing this…” This made Kana tighten her arms around her, letting out an emotionally choked but gentle hush.

“Hey, it’s not your fault…my father’s last thoughts of you were probably how loyal you were; going to the conference in Cheve on his behalf.” The cyan haired dancer said soothingly, gently patting her aunt’s back. “Papa only ever had great things to say about you, you know that, right?”

Lilith jolted ever so slightly as she felt her nephew and sister-in-law hug her as well and began to tear up, still never having gotten use to physical affection after being starved of it for so long. Even Azura – the most devastated at Corrin’s passing – was there to reassure her despite her own grief. 

“You remember how overjoyed Corrin was when he learned you’re his sister, don’t you?” Azura asked after her own sobs died down, Lilith only nodding in somber silence as a reply. “With how happy he was, I don’t think it’s possible that he’d ever think of you as a terrible sister. He loved you.”

The storm came to a lull, the once drumming noise of rain on glass slowly to a patter as the four stood there in their shared grief. Slowly, Lilith broke from the group around her and made her way to her brother’s side, taking his limp, still warm hand in hers. 

“I’m sorry I wasn’t able to be here in time, brother…” Lilith talked to Corrin with shaky breath as if he were still with them, gripping his hand tightly. “…but I’m glad for all the time we’ve had together over the years. I’ll miss you, Corrin. I love you…” Lilith bent over and pressed a soft kiss to the late king’s forehead. “Goodnight, brother.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I retract what I said at the end of yesterday's submission; I'll end this arc here. Tomorrow's submission is probably going to wind up entirely fluff so I decided why not go entirely angst right before in contrast?


	7. Wedding Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Corrin recalls part of his wedding day as he tries to calm his son on his own.

An evening light shone brilliantly through the window as Shigure studied his appearance in the mirror before him, starting slightly as he saw the door behind him open in the reflection. He relaxed a tad when he noticed that the person entering was his father who smiled proudly at the sight of his son in his current attire when the prince turned to face him.

“I’d say Oboro did a pretty good job with your suit, son.” Were the first words out of Corrin’s mouth as he took in the elegant yet sharp-looking 3 piece garment. Shigure nervously avoided eye contact and turned back to studying his reflection.

“I-I’m not certain I c-can wear it, father.” Shigure stuttered nervously as he repeatedly flexed his hands at his sides and once again shifted his gaze, this time from the mirror to the floor.

“Hmm? Why ever not?” The silver haired man asked, pinching his chin between his thumb and forefinger in thought. “The suit seems to be a perfect fit.” Even as a child, Shigure had never been one to complain about his clothing, so what could possibly prevent him from wearing the gray and blue suit he stood in?

“I-I don’t think I’m r-ready for today.” Shigure continued to stutter, jolting in surprise when he suddenly felt his father’s hand clap to his shoulder. As the cyan haired man turned his head to look his father in the face, that’s when Corrin noticed the fear in the crowned prince’s brilliant golden eyes. 

“You’re nervous about the wedding, aren’t you?” Shigure nodded, deciding to keep his thoughts of nervous being an understatement to himself for the time being. “Well, don’t be; everything is going to be okay.”

“How can you be so sure?” The younger man half yelled, the stress of his looming marriage starting to get the better of him. “What if Caeldori doesn’t love me anymore? What if she wants to back out? What if she doesn’t want to be queen? What if…what if she never truly loved me?” Shigure began to pace, dragging his hands through his hair as his mind burned with unanswered questions.

Corrin said nothing, but after a few moments, the king closed his eyes and smiled knowingly. He sat down in one of the armchairs facing the coffee table and gestured for his son to sit across from him. “Have a seat, son. While I may not have answers for you, I have a story that I think will help you.” Reluctantly, Shigure took a seat and began to fiddle with his hands.

“Father, with all due respect, I don’t believe your stories will help me right now.” The cyan haired prince leaned forward and covered his face with his hand; taking a few shaky, deep breaths to try to calm himself.

“It might. After all, I was in your exact position some twenty years ago; this is the story of the day I married your mother.” 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Silas, I don’t think I can go through with this.” Corrin said with a deep breath as he turned from the mirror to face his best man. “What if she doesn’t lo-“

“I’m going to stop you right there, Corrin.” Silas held up a hand for silence. “If Azura didn’t love you, you wouldn’t be here today.” The gray haired man smiled as he firmly planted the same hand on the groom’s shoulder.

“But what if she changes her mind?” Try as he might, the soon to be king of Valla couldn’t put the seemingly unending flow off doubt out of his mind; forgetting that fateful day on the plains as well as the day his army faced off against the Silent Dragon, this was the most important day of his life.

“There is nothing to worry about, my friend. Azura loves you just as much as you love her, if not more so.” Silas’s reassuring smile only grew as he turned his friend back to the mirror and handed him a comb. “Now, fix your hair, you can’t go out there with your hair like that.”

“What if something goes wrong, Silas?” Corrin continued to voice his endless doubt as he dragged the comb through his spiky, knotted, unkempt hair. 

“Corrin, you have to calm down. If you can unite two warring nations against a threat you were incapable of actually telling them about, then you can get married to the woman you love.” The gray haired man held nothing but confidence in his friend as he patted him on the upper arm, Corrin taking a deep breath and smiling slightly. “Now, are you ready?”

“Yeah, thanks Silas, I have no idea what I’d do without you.”

“It doesn’t matter what you’d do without me, just get out there and get married to the woman of your dreams.” Silas urged his friend toward the door, opening it to lead him to the gathering hall where they would wait for his bride.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Wait, _you_ were nervous on your wedding day?” Shigure didn’t think he’d seen his father lose his mind with anxiety as he was currently doing even once. The reminder that his father was just as much a fallible human as he was began to ease his doubts.

“Maybe not as nervous as you are now, but I think if it weren’t for Silas, I wouldn’t be here right now, and by extension, neither would you.” Corrin had elected not to share the fact that as Silas tried to lead him out into the hall, he promptly turned around, grabbed the Omega Yato out of its scabbard from where it laid on the table and obliterated the mirror – the less people who knew about that moment of weakness, the better…He also elected not to share the fact that Shigure himself had been there; his son _definitely_ didn’t need to know that he was an accident and born during the Invisible War.

“Thank you, father.” Shigure sighed as he stood up, inspecting his appearance in the mirror one last time. “You were right – I did need to hear that story. I’m ready.” The groom turned around and stumbled forward slightly as his father pulled him into a bear hug.

“I love you, Shigure. You’re going to make a great king, someday.” Corrin said warmly as he patted his son’s back.

“I love you too, father.” The groom said, watching as the door behind his father opened to reveal his mother.

“Oh, Shigure, you look wonderful!” Azura said as she crossed the room, Corrin releasing his hug on their son so his wife could take his place. “Are you nervous?”

“Thank you, mother, and I was but father helped me.” Shigure said with a relaxed sigh, letting his mother pull him into one of the tightest hugs she’d given in years.

“Did your father tell you about how he got so nervous on our wedding day, he destroyed a mirror?” The queen asked with a slight giggle, meanwhile a look of horror grew on Corrin’s rapidly draining face. Shigure took a step back after Azura released her hug, staring at his father in amusement for a few moments before bursting out laughing.

“D-dear, I thought we agreed we weren’t going to tell him that!” Corrin hid his face in his hands as Shigure tried desperately to stop laughing at the thought of his kind yet calm father losing his mind with anxiety to the point of attacking a mirror. Azura simply giggled as she pulled her husband’s hands away from his face to press a swift kiss to his lips.

“Oops.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has been a fun ride, guys! Thank you all for reading my submissions! I've got some more Fire Emblem stuff in the pipeline to come out real soon, so stick around for a couple days if you'd enjoy reading more from me.

**Author's Note:**

> Alright, to anybody and everybody who came here through the link on my deviantart page and find the fact that I ship this given circumstances is questionable or otherwise concerning, allow me to just state once and for all for everyone to hear.
> 
> I, under no circumstances, condone real life incest and normally I don't condone fictional incest either, but for one this ship already had its hooks in me before that supposed "bombshell" was dropped and for two the game adds so little significance to anything by making these two related that I literally forgot about it until a few days ago. If you're going to give me a bunch of shit for shipping this, here's an idea; don't, because I genuinely don't want to deal with it.


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